Thrasher Fountain expected to be spraying again Friday

View full sizeDave Dieter/Huntsville TimesBrent Bogle, left, Shaun Harrison, under the equipment, and Chris Gipson, right, of the city's General Services Department replaced lights, pumps and wiring on the Thrasher Memorial Fountain today.

HUNTSVILLE, AL - The Thrasher Memorial Fountain is expected to be splashing again Friday after being offline for most of the week for routine maintenance.

The fountain, located in the Big Spring International Park canal near the Embassy Suites Hotel, was taken offline Tuesday, Jeff Easter, director of the city's General Services Department, said this afternoon.

"We're attempting to change our strategy a little bit so we don't have to pull it out but once a year," Easter said.

Crews are replacing burned out lights, installing new pumps and arranging for the lights to shine pink in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Easter said.

"We hope to have it done this week," Easter said.

The city waited until after Armed Forces Week to do the work, he said.

The family of business and civic leader Tom Thrasher donated $284,000 for the computer-controlled fountain, which opened in 2006.

The fountain sprays water into the air for 10 minutes each hour. Colored lights color the water at night.